V. THE FIRST STEPS AS REVEALED BY HISTORY.
It must not be thought that these ways of varying musical motives without destroying their identity were quickly found out by musicians. On the contrary, it took centuries, literally centuries, to discover these devices that seem to us so simple. All savage races are musically like children; they cannot keep more than one or two short bits of tune in mind at the same time, and these they simply repeat monotonously. The first two examples in Figure II, taken from Sir Hubert Parry's "The Evolution of the Art of Music," give an idea of the first stage of the savage musician.
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![[PNG]](#5102994518728001825_pag11_score2.png.id-3577145035878911182.wrap-0.html.html){kind=link}
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FIGURE II. TUNES OF PRIMITIVE SAVAGES.
The first is from Australia, the second from Tongataboo. Both are made of a single motive endlessly repeated without relief.
In a slightly higher stage, two motives are used, but with little more skill. Number 3, in Figure II, is an example. Then come tunes in which one or more motives, repeated literally, are still the main feature of the design, but in which a certain amount of variety is introduced between the repetitions (see Number 4, in Figure II, a Russian tune). Here the little characteristic figure of four short notes and a long, marked N.B., is agreeably relieved by other material.